There was a lot of unexpected action above them, but in the end the Trail Blazers picked the player many NBA experts expected them to.

Portland picked Weber State's Damian Lillard with the No. 6 pick of the 2012 NBA draft. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Lillard was considered the top point guard in the draft.

Lillard averaged 24.5 points, 4.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds for Weber State. He had what was believed to be an outstanding solo workout for the Blazers on June 15. Many experts expected the Blazers to pick Lillard.

The Blazers used their No. 11 spot to take Meyers Leonard, a 7-1 center out of Illinois. Leonard worked out for Portland on May 29, before the team hired new general manager Neil Olshey.

Leonard, who played two seasons for the Illini, is considered a raw talent, a good athlete who can run the floor and block shots, but who still needs to develop offensively. He averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds for Illinois this season.

The Blazers selected Lillard despite the fact that a player ranked higher on many mock drafts, North Carolina forward Harrison Barnes, was available. Olshey had consistently said the Blazers would draft the best player available regardless of position. Portland, however, is in need of a starting point guard.

Lillard, in a conference call from draft headquarters in New Jersey, said he believes he will fit in with the Blazers because of the players he will be surrounded. He said he is looking forward to playing with All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

"I think in the pick-and-roll, we can find ways to be effective off of each other," he said.

Barnes, who did not work out for the Blazers, became available when Cleveland took Syracuse's Dion Waiters at No. 4, much higher than most experts had expected him to go.